Compressed-air auto-starter.



N. T. NASH.

COMPRESSED AIR AUTO SIARTER..

Armenian man ssrmzu. 19:4.

Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I T. NASH.

COMPRESSED AIR AUTO smmen.

APPLICATION F!LED SEPT-21 1914- I I .Patentadflpr. 23, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N. T. NASH. COMPRESSED AIR AUTO STARTER.

APPLTCAUON FILED SEPT. 2!.1914- JPaten Apr. 23,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 4 31 won for oi. stimat s thiidopei'atdstarter for? l {automobiles fi astens asel i re.

" ivnhfir. 'ivlisi-r, 'or rriivroivirownfessieiion avail-ism "a. ease, eel-1mm; Iowa.

i comrnssswns 1 resigns.

" ream mam Caz-mm.- i 1 V "citizen or the United statesjresiding at l-lii'ito thecoimty of Plymouth; State" 5 owa ha smeared certain new a'nduse N shear iii @olnpife'ssed llfii Autoiaa aunerebyaaeciarethe 01: o et fi ,e1eal,'aademt descrip- *tion of tlie invention, such as will"'enable A I r ta-ins to make and use the same. i i V This inventi'onrlates to starting devices for internal. combustion mesandhas speree nnci nobject bfthe invention is 113love ii-h d simplify the f general construe aver devices of this" character. 'With tilie'abo vd and other objects in view "the ii-Wendel consists in general of certain strtictioiiand combination of parts her anew-r1113 described,"illustrated in accompanying" drawings, and specifi Inftheaccoinpanying drawing, like charg acters or reference" indicate like arts in the T igure l is view of an automobile;

owiifg'the starter applied thereto, *"Fig. '2 is adetaiflside elevation of the an rangeinent shown iirliig. 1.

Fig.2 is a section minimise '3-3 of Fig. 1.- l, ;Fig. 4 is aiVenlarged detail view of the clutch mechanism and gearing for. connect ing the engine shaft with the shaft of the starter.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical-section through the starting engine. 1 p I ac" Fig/6 isaisection on'theline 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5, the section showing eccentric and crank of the starter shaft when the piston attached to said crank is in its highest position.

Fig. 8 is a detail view, showing a controlling valve for the outlet pipe.

In carrying out the objects of the invention the automobiles chassis, which is indicated at 10 has supported thereon an air tank 11, which is connected by a pipe l2 with branch pipes 13 and 14. Located in the pipe 13 is a check valve which opens toward the tank 11, and at a farther dis tance from the tank 11 is a T-joint having with? the gears 24 and 25.

Specification Letters Patent M 191%, Application ilia s'alemrer .2l1 '1914. sea-art. 262,307.

rovidedwith a li -joint 21, within the- *arm 56 of which is mounted a check valve, and 1t"shouldalso be noted that the. arm

56 is open to the atmosphere.

"The ordinary gasen'gine 22 is used with are ai' tomobileand on the drlving'shaft or crank shaft 23 0t this engine are spaced tli'e 'gears 24 and V Mounted on the chassis adjacent theshatt 28 is the starting engine. The starter comprises a crankcase 26wherein is supported a crank shaft 27. on the *crankshaft 27 are arranged the gears 28 and 29 which mesh respectively Each of these gears 28 and 291's mounted loosely onsaid shaft-arid splined to'the shaft is adouble "cone clutch member 30 arranged to cooperate withclutch' members 31 and 31 carried on the "res ective gears 28 and 29; The

member 30 is provided with the usual shipper roov'e controlled by a shipper bya link 34 with a lever 35 arranged ad ,jaeene the 'operators seat. It will be'observed that by moving the member 30 in onedirection or theother,

one ofthegearsonthe shaft 27- may be "cl'utch ed'to the said shaftandthus the shaft be connected bperatively to the shaft 23.

Extending upward from the crank case 26 are guides 36 and 36" wherein are"11'1ounted oross heads 87 and 37"connected by rods 38 and 38 with the cranks 39 and 39 off said shaft 27, said cranks being' preferably arranged quartering. Supported on the upper ends of the guides 86 and 36 are cylinders 40 and 40' wherein are mounted pistons 41 and 41 connected to the cross-heads 87 and 37 by piston rods 42 and 42. Between the cylinders 40 and 40 are arranged cylindrical valve chambers 43 and 43 which are connected with the cylinders 40 and 40 by ports 44 and 44 arranged at each end of said cylinders. Within each of the chambers 43 and 43' are spaced pistons 45 and 45 connected by valve stems 46 and 46, the pistons forming the working parts of the respective valve. These valve stems extend downward through stuffing boxes 47 and 47' and guides 48 and 48 and are connected by eccentric arms 49 and 49 to eccentric straps 50 and 50 surrounding eccentrics 51 keyed on the shaft 27. At the end of the pipe 13 branches 52 and 52 are provided which communicate with ports 53 and 53 leading to the respective valve chambers 43 and 43.

Entered into the intermediate points in the valve cylinders are the ports 54 which are connected to a suitable pipe 55 which acts as a continuation of the branch pipe 14: leading from the air tank 11.

In order to render the starting apparatus operative it is-obviously necessary to primarily charge the tank 11 with compressed air. Therefore, the engine 22 is started in the usual manner and the gate valves 15 and 15 are closed. The clutch mechanism is then operated so that the large gear 28 is locked to the'shaft 27, so that the engine is geared to the starting engine. Then, the starting engine being driven by the internal combustion engine, air is drawn into the branch 56, through the check valve in the T-joint 21, through the pipe 55 into the starting engine, then into the pipe 13 past the check 20 and into the tank 11. This pumping action may be continued until the tank 11 is suitably charged. WVhen the apparatus is to be used to start the engine 22, the valves 15 and 15 are both thrown to open'position, so that air may flow from the tank 11 to the pipe 12 and to the pipe 14, by way of the pipe 15 into the air valve cylinders of the starting engine, thereby operating the latter and exhausting by Way of the pipe 1-1 and the T which contains the valve 15 to the atmosphere. Obviously since the pressure in the tank 11 is greater than the atmospheric pressure, the check 20 will remain inactive during the starting operation. Of course, when the device is used as a starter, the lever 85 is moved to clutch the small gear 29 to the shaft 27, so that a suitable gear ratio willbe set up between the starting engine and the internal combustion engine.

The operation of the crank shaft 27 under the influence of the compressed air will start the engine 22. After starting the engine the gears on 27 are unclutched and the lever 16 moves to cut oil air from the starter. Of course at any time during the operation of the engine 22 the first part of the operation above described may be repeated to till the tank 11.

There has thus been provided a simple and efiicient device of the kind described and of the character specified.

It will be obvious that many minor changes may be made in the form and con struction. of this invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is wished to include all such as come properly within the scope of the claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In an automobile starting mechanism, the combination of a pair of cylinders, a valve casing extending parallel with each cylinder, a pair of rigidly connected valves in each casing, each casing having an inlet port between said valves, a pair of ports communicating with its corresponding cylinder and adapted to be alternately uncoveredby said valves, and exhaust ports at opposite ends of the casings, whereby to exhaust said cylinders through said inlet ports on the return strokes of said valves, an air tank, a conduitconnecting said inlet port to said tank, a second conduit branched from the first conduit and connecting said exhaust ports to said tank and means for controlling said connecting means whereby to pump air through said cylinders.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. in the presence of two witnesses.

NEAL T. NASH.

\Vitnesses JULIUS Won), (l. E. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

